Fondants de Poisson au Beurre de Citron

Salmon Croquettes with Lemon And Chive Sauce

SERVES 6

These salmon croquettes are more elegantly called fondants in French -
literally "melting" or "moist" titbits. Indeed, the mixture of poached
fish and béchamel sauce creates a dish with a meltingly creamy interior and
a light, crisp crust. At Le Cordon Bleu, salmon is poached especially for
making these croquettes, but leftover fish may also be used. Indeed, any
cooked vegetable or meat can be prepared in exactly the same way.

NOTE: The butter used to make the sauce served with the croquettes is
clarified to remove milk solids. This technique produces a perfectly
transparent liquid that can also be used as a cooking fat. Clarified butter
can be heated to very high temperatures without breaking down and gives
a delicious flavour to foods cooked in it. Butter loses up to 25 percent of its
weight (in water and milk solids) when clarified.

Prepare the court bouillon in a large shallow saucepan, using the above
ingredients and following the directions for basic
court bouillon. Leave to cool to room
temperature.

Add the salmon to the saucepan with the cooled court bouillon and bring
to the boil. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to stand until cool.
Remove the fish from the poaching liquid and drain well on a wire rack.

Prepare the béchamel sauce: use the above ingredients and follow the
directions given in Oeufs à la Tripe.
Whisk the egg yolks with a little of the hot sauce
and return to the pan. Return the sauce to the heat and cook for 1 minute.

Flake the drained salmon and stir it into the béchamel sauce. Spread the
mixture out on a dish. Pat the surface with butter to prevent a crust from
forming. Refrigerate for about 1 hour, until cold.

Meanwhile, prepare the lemon and chive sauce. First clarify the butter:
melt the butter in a saucepan over very low heat, without stirring. Skim
the foam from the surface. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for a
few minutes until the milk solids settle on the bottom. Carefully pour the
clear yellow liquid (the clarified butter) leaving the milk
into a container,
solids in the bottom of the saucepan; discard the solids. Whisk the lemon
juice into the clarified butter. Add the chives and season to taste with salt
and pepper. Keep the sauce warm over a saucepan of hot water.

Fill a large saucepan or deep-fat fryer about one-third full with the oil
and heat to a temperature of about 182 C (360 F).

Prepare the coating: put the flour on a large plate. In a shallow dish,
beat the eggs with the vegetable oil and water, then season the mixture
with salt and pepper. Put the breadcrumbs on another large plate.

Shape the croquettes: dip 2 tablespoons in cold water to keep the
croquette mixture from sticking. Scoop out a mound of the cooled fish
mixture with one of the spoons. Invert the second spoon over the top of the
mound to smooth the croquette into an oval shape. Then slide the top spoon
under the croquette and transfer it to the plate with the flour. Dredge it in
the flour and shake off the excess. Gently pinch one end of the croquette
to form it into a pear shape. Dip it in the egg mixture, then roll it in the
breadcrumbs. Repeat with the remaining fish mixture.

Gently lower the croquettes into the hot oil, frying no more than 3 at a
time. Fry for about 3 minutes, until golden. Drain on paper towels.

To serve, line a serving platter with a white napkin and stand the
croquettes on the platter. Insert a small piece of parsley stem in the top of
each to represent the stems of the pears. Decorate the platter with parsley
sprigs. Serve the sauce in a sauceboat.